I have a 5'6" M, fast tip spinning rod which essentially has a pistol grip. Its butt end is too short to lodge it under my forearm much and I use just my wrist to control it. Since it is shorter, it doesn't need the extra butt end length as it has much greater leverage over a longer rod.

And, I have a short casting rod, too, 5'6" with a true pistol grip.

I have purchased both of these since you and I made the trip to Oklahoma. I love both of these rods for fishing out of a canoe or kayak!

..YES SIR,,,,and they still catch fish. Ugly STick 5'6" Medium makes a great roadrunner and small swim bait rodAlso really good for small 4" stick baits under boats docksit is truly amazing what you can do with 5'6 & 6 foot rods,,,,,,truly a lost art.

Yep still use em! Perfect for close quarter cypress tree filled lakes. I throw chatterbaits and spinnerbaits on a 5'6" BPS extreme mh rod. doesn't have to be super special I use 50lb braid and whip the bait way back in there!

I have one of the All Star 6' MH Pitchin' Sticks. I wore out the cork handle & just recently replaced it with a Winn Grip handle. Great for close quarters or for the Yak'ers.

Correct. They are very handy for kayaks and even boats for short action presentations like most pitching presentations. Accuracy really improves using one in the right circumstances, too.

I have used them for throwing frogs and it works well for some odd reason, but for longer casts, longer rods make more sense, of course.

Tom, for a high quality bass rod, I have this one (see below) in the 5'6" model with the Type 1 handle. See its specs, too. I love it. I have an old Ugly Stik with a pistol grip and I might use it for white bass. It is very soft but very durable. Brad